MBR versus Tertiary Treatment for Reuse Applications

Management of our global water resources is vital to creating sustainable water supplies for potable, agricultural, recreational and industrial use. Reuse is an economic and environmentally sound solution that uses less energy and actually reduces overall waste compared to desalination. Integrating low-pressure membranes with reverse osmosis to treat wastewater provides a highly-effective multi-barrier approach, achieving extremely high-quality water. Applying integrated membrane systems to treat secondary (and tertiary) effluent is well proven; demonstrated to produce water exceeding typical drinking water standards, often referred to as ‘repurified water’. Repurified water is commonly used for indirect potable reuse and industrial purposes. The two examples described in this paper (Orange County GWRS and North Head Sewage Treatment Plant) illustrate widely different approaches to water reuse, but highlight the importance that membrane filtration plays in the successful operation of these plants,